DRAP’s Central Drug Laboratory to get WHO accreditation

Islamabad: The Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) is moving towards international accreditation in a bid to be categorized among WHO Listed Authorities (WLA).

In the initial phases, CDL has been assessed for quality management system certification and is continuously engaged with WHO for its prequalification as one of the quality control laboratories in the country. A peer audit by WHO is now expected in April 2021.

CDL has recently been revamped in accordance with international best practices. The laboratory now houses cutting-edge equipment for testing and analysis of drugs, alternative medicines, and medical devices. Best practices as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United States Pharmacopoeia are being implemented for performing tests on above mentioned therapeutic goods.

“DRAP is committed to strengthen its laboratories for further ensuring that quality drugs are available in the country. In this context, the Karachi-based CDL situated is being upgraded. This is one of the most important steps in making DRAP a modern-day regulatory body,” DRAP’s spokesperson stated in a press release issued here on Tuesday.

CDL is an essential component of the quality framework that tests the samples of therapeutic goods, for their quality taken, by Federal Inspectors of Drugs (FIDs) and other departments of federal government across the country. Regulatory testing ensures that manufacturers of therapeutic goods are manufacturing products of consistent quality and that the health of citizen is protected. The strengthening of DRAP’s CDL will also ascertain that spurious, counterfeit, substandard, adulterated and misbranded drugs are identified, and the menace is swiftly curtailed.